Nils Muzhnieks will “do all in his power” to try to help Azerbaijani political prisoners

The Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muzhnieks on New Year’s Eve again touched on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. As contact.az informs, he wrote on Facebook page:

“As many of us are getting ready to celebrate the holidays, my thoughts go to all my partners who devote their lives to human rights protection. This year has been a particularly challenging and dangerous one for many of them in several Council of Europe member States.

One of the most difficult situations I have observed is in Azerbaijan, where the authorities are engaging in a systematic crackdown on human rights defenders, media professionals and civil society partners of the Council of Europe. The number of those in detention there or in exile continues to grow.

I salute them and will continue in 2015 to do all in my power to try to help them obtain justice and advance the cause of human rights.”